Study and analytical application of rare earth inhibition of laccase

The effect of metal ions on the laccase-catalyzed redox reaction of 5,6-dibromo-2,3-dicyanohydroquinone to 5,6-dibromo-2,3-dicyanosemiquinone was studied. The results show that rare earth ions strongly inhibited the reaction, while most of the common elements such as Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Al(3+) and Fe(3+), etc. had no inhibition on the reaction. Further experimental results reveal that the inhibition of lanthanum (III) on laccase activity was of the comparative type and the degree of inhibition of La(3+) on laccase activity was proportional to the concentration of La(3+). Based on this, a simple, rapid and new stopped-flow enzyme-catalyzed analytical kinetic method for determination of rare earth was proposed and applied to the determination of trace amounts of rare earth in water.